Apparatus for signaling by electricity



(No Model.)

J. W. STOVER.

APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING BY ELECTRICITY.

Patented Mar. 21,1882.

o wrww MW 0 W5 17m i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH W. STOVER, ()F NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR SIGNALING BY ELECTRICITY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,124, dated March21, 1882.

Application filed November 18, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn W. S'rovnn, of Newton, county of Middlesex,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Methods of andApparatus for Signaling by Electricity, ofwhich the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification.

My invention relates to a method of signaling especially adapted to thatclass of telegraphy in which the recorded signals consist of difi'erentnumbers of dots, or are produced by electric impulses of very shortduration, and has for its object to enable the signals to be given withgreater rapidity than by systems now practiced.

In telegraphing and signaling relays are commonly employed to open andclose a local circuit, the currents of which actuate and control theregistering mechanism by which a strip of paper is either embossed orreceives colored marks by chemical action when permanent signals aredesired. As heretofore commonly employed the relay-armature lever closesthe local circuit only when it is in one extreme position, eitherattracted or retracted, and consequently, in giving a series of signals,two movements of the relay-armature toward and from the poles of itsmagnet are required for each complete signal.

This invention consists partly in causing both the opening and closureof the main cir cuit to be registered, as hereinafter described, acomplete signal being recorded at the movement of the relay-armaturefrom the poles of the magnet, and also at its return movement toward thepoles thereof.

The invention also consists in a relay which operates to close the localcircuitin the movement of its armature toward and from the poles of itsmagnet, instead of at the termination of one of the said movements, ashas commonly been done.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a relay adapted for the practice of thisinvention, it being properly constructed to close the local circuit inits movement in either direction; Fig. 2, a detail showing a differentdevice for controlling the local circuit, the relay-armature being inone of its extreme positions and the local circuit open; Fi 3, a similarview, but with the relay in an intermediate position and the localcircuit closed; Fig. 4, a modification in which the local circuit isclosed at the end of the movement of the armature; Fig. 5, a breakwlieeladapted to be used in practicing this invention, and Figs. 6 and 7strips as regisistered by the relay shown in Figs. 1 and 4 respectively.

As shown in Fig. 1, the armature-lever a of the relay-magnet b forms oneand the framework 0 the other electrode of the local circuit controllingthe register or recording mechanism, which is well known and needs noillustration, such register consisting essentially of a train ofwheel-work to move a strip of paper, an electro-magnet in the localcircuit to set the said train in movement as soon as a signal be gins,it being adapted to stop itself after a definite interval withoutsignals, and a stylus.

operated. by an electro-magnet in the local circuit to emboss the saidtraveling-paper, or electrodes to cause discoloration of the said paper, chemically prepared for thatpurpose,when the current is flowing.

The front and back stops, cl 0, for the armature-lever a are bothprovided with insulating material, as shown, so that the said lever doesnot make electrical connection with either; but the frame-work c hasconnected therewith a contact-point, shown as afine spring, f, properlylocated to be touched by the end of the armature-lever as it passes fromone to the other of the stops d 0, but to be disconnected from the saidlever when resting against either of the said stops, as shown. The localcircuit is thus closed momentarily at each backward and forward movementof the armature-lever (t, and a series of dots may thus be registered orrecorded, as will be readily understood by those familiar with the art,and various different signals may be produced by varying the intervalsbetween the said dots. This method is especially adapted to the sendingof number-signals-such as used for fire-alarm and municipalpurposeswhere a series of dots at uniform intervals represent a figure,a longer interval is employed to separate the diti'erent figures ot acomplete number, and a still larger interval is used to separate therepetitions of the same number. Such a signal, composed entirely ofdots, is shown in Figure 6, as it ap pears when registered upon thepaper strip, two repetitions of the signal 314 being given, as indicatedby the figures above the ditt'erent series of dots. These signals areusuallytransmitted mechanically bya break-wheel, and one adapted forthis system is shown in Fi 5,

where the metallic disk or wheel forms one electrode of the circuit ofthe relay-magnet b, Fig. 1, and a contact-spring, g, resting on theperiphery of the said wheel forms the other electrode. The said wheel isnotched or provided with insulating material in its periphery, as shown,so that as it rotates electrical contact is made and broken between itand the spring g, and the relay-magnet and its armature are thusaffected in the well-known manner; but as each movement of the saidarmature is recorded, it will be seen that but onehalf the usual numberof notches or insulated spaceswill be required, thesignals being given,as indicated by the numbers marked on the wheel. A broader metallicspace or insulated space, as the case may be, is employed to give thelonger interval between the dots.

In the modification shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the armature-lever a does notform aportion of the local circuit, which includes twocontactsprings,j"f mounted on insulating material, and having a metalanvil-piece, (t between their free ends, so that when they both touchthe said anvil'piece the local circuit will be closed; but it eitherofthem be separated from the said anvil-piece the local circuit will beopen. The end of the armature-lever It plays between the ends of thesaid springs, it bearing one of them away from the piece a when it isagainst either of its stops at ore, as shown in Fig. 2, but permittingthem both to touch the said piece a in its passage from one stop to theother, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is not necessary that the relay-armature should close the localcircuit during its movement; but it may close itat the end ofitsmovement in the usual manner, except that it closes at both movements.In this case an arrangement such as illustrated in Fig. 4 will prefe"ably be employed. In this one of the armature-stops, as d, is inelectrical connection with the frame-piece 0, while the other stop, 0,is insulated therefrom, and both are adapted to make electrical contactwith the armature-lever a. The local circuit, as shown in dotted lines,has two branches, one pole of its battery being connected by wire 12with the armaturelever and the other pole having two branches, 13 14,connected with the frame cand with the stop 0, respectively. By thisarrangement dashes may be recorded as well as dots, and the registershould have two stylus-operating magnets, (indicated in plan view atlm,)one in each branch of the said local circuit, and the operation of thebreak-wheel (shown in Fig. 5) will be registered, as shown in Fig. 7, inwhich it will be seen that the marks in both lines are counted, a dashindicating the last count of each figure and a long dash indicating theend of the com plete number.

When the armature-lever a is against the back stop, 0, as shown in thedrawings, the cir cnit 12 14 will be closed through the magnet m, andthe stylus, carried by its armature, will bein contact with theregistering-strip, the branch 13, containing the magnet Z, beingthenopen between a and d. When the armaturelever to is attracted into,contact with the stop (1 the circuit- 12 13 will be closed through theregistering-magnet Z, the stylus of which will then reston the paper,while the branch containing the magnet in will be opened and its stylusremoved. In this case one of the registeranagnets will remain in anormally-closed circuit, and the first movement of the armature of theother magnet or the backward movement of the normally-attracted armaturemay be employed to release the train of wheel-work and set the paper inmotion.

It is obvious that a single local circuit might be employed, it beingclosed on both stops (1 c, and in this case a single stylus-magnet wouldbe employed and the record of Fig. 7 would be in one line, the spacesbetween marks then corresponding to the time occupied by therelayarmature in passing from one stop to the other. This method isuseful where it is desirable to send a signal with extreme rapidity andat the same time to enable a permanent record to be kept of such signal.The only limit to the speed of operation is the capability of thearmature-lever to respond, and itwill be seen that double the speed isattained that can be when only one movement of the said armature is recorded, as is usually the case.

I claim-- 1. In an electric signaling apparatus, a relay having amovable armature and retractor and a device for alternately breaking and010s ing the circuit thereof, combined with a local battery and circuitfor operating registering apparatus the terminals of which arecontrolled bythe said relay-armature, as described, whereby thecondition of the said local circuit is changed both at the movement ofthe relay-armature from and at its movement toward the poles of itsmagnet, and a record is thus made both of the opening and closure of themain or relay circuit, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a relay, the combination, with the relayarmature, ot'thelocal-circuit terminals controlled thereby and arranged as described, bymeans of which the local circuit is closed in the movement of thearmature in either direction, but retained open at the end ot the saidmovements, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a relay-armature lever forming a portion of thelocal circuit, and insulating-stops therefor, ot' a contact-spring, alsoforming a portion of the local circuit, it being located, as described,relative to the armature-lever, whereby it is touched by the saidarmature-lever only in its movement from one to the other of the saidstops, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence ol two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses: JOS. W. STOVER.

G. W. Ganoonv, J os. P. Lrvnnaroan.

